Why do radicals try so hard to be jerks?

[Hortensis]

17. There's a huge difference between AVOWED positions in

the current environment and what people like religious right Cruz and democratic socialist Sanders might attempt to achieve if they could. They both have to get elected in this environment, not their ideal ones.

Cruz made the mistake of revealing too much of himself and has alarmed and repelled most of the right and of course virtually all of the left.

Sanders not so much. His senate record of sponsored legislation defines the far left border of the cluster formed by all Democratic senators, and his rhetoric has carefully stayed within what range of what liberals eager for progress will support. But I've wondered each time I've seen it where his dot would be if not constrained by the reality of having to caucus with Democrats instead of a far left party.

I don't think it's amazing how un-radical we are, though. For one, radicalism arises from radical personality, not issues. Liberals can support out-of-the-box issues that might be referred to by media as radical, but they're really just desired advances whose time is hoped to have come. Radicalism is what we see trying to happen around Nader, Stein, Sanders.

But the other thing I think I see is far more sinister. The right has moved strongly right, and their leadership, controlled by their dark-money donors, has moved farther still -- is genuinely right-wing extremist. We may have gotten accustomed to the right's plan to destroy the VA, SocSec, Medicaid, etc.; transfer our national wealth and power to a ruling class; and pounding on doors to arrest immigrants and carry them off to holding camps, but this IS right-wing extremism.

And because the right's gone there, Democrats don't have the luxury of progressing with more of our outside-the-comfy-box liberal goals, but rather need to concentrate on conserving what we have. As a matter of survival of democracy itself, we've been forced to back-burner progressive goals, with the most vital need being to rebuild our democracy's vital electoral center. Which frustrates the hell out of radicals, who simply don't understand the need.